Pike-Perch in Sour Cream
Pike-perch is lean and delicate, which makes it easy to overcook. We give the fillets a crust in the pan and finish them in the oven under sour cream, so the heat reaches the fish gently through the sauce instead of blasting it, and the flesh stays juicy.
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 30 min
- Total
- 50 min
- Servings
- 4
- Level
- Medium
- Per serving
- 360 kcal
Ingredients
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What to use instead
Pike, perch or cod work just as well. Give cod 3 to 4 minutes less in the oven, as it cooks faster.
Makes: 4 servings
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The ingredients for the servings you chose — copy them or send them to a messenger. Tick what you already have at home: only the rest goes on the list.
Method
Oven
180 °C · top and bottom heat, no fan
With a fan: 160 °C
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Step 1: Dry and salt
Cut the fillets into portions, pat them completely dry and salt them. Leave for 10 minutes; surface moisture is what stops a crust forming.
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Step 2: Sear
Dust the pieces in flour, shake off the excess and fry in hot oil for 2 minutes a side, just to golden. The fish is still raw inside at this point.
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Step 3: Soften the onion
In the same pan melt the butter and cook the onion half-rings for 7 minutes until translucent and sweet.
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Step 4: Loosen the sour cream
Whisk the sour cream with the hot water and a spoonful of the leftover flour. Thinned and stabilised with flour, it will not break into curds in the oven.
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Step 5: Assemble
Lay the fish in a baking dish, scatter the onion over and pour in the sauce so the pieces sit half submerged.
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Step 6: Bake
Bake at 180 °C for 15 minutes, scattering the cheese over for the last 5. The sauce should bubble quietly at the edges, never boil hard.
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Step 7: Check doneness
At the thickest point the flesh should look matt white and separate into thick flakes under a fork; a thermometer reads 63 °C.
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Step 8: Serve
Scatter with chopped dill and let it stand 5 minutes so the sauce thickens. Serve with a lemon wedge.
Tips & variations
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Tip
Use sour cream of at least 20% fat. Low-fat versions separate under heat almost every time, however carefully you thin them.
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Swap
Pike, perch or cod work just as well. Give cod 3 to 4 minutes less in the oven, as it cooks faster.
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Tip
If the sauce tastes flat, stir in a teaspoon of mustard: it lifts the sour cream without making the dish hot.
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Storage
Two days in the fridge. Reheat covered with foil at 150 °C; a microwave splits the sauce.
Nutrition
| 1 serving | Whole dish 4 servings | |
|---|---|---|
| Energy | 360 kcal | 1,440 kcal |
| Protein | 33 g | 132 g |
| Fat | 21 g | 84 g |
| Carbohydrates | 9 g | 36 g |
Approximate values calculated from standard ingredient data.
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